Hard Mode
by Timberwolf0
Summary: Three bored gamers find a strange website claiming it can make a game out of any work of fiction. They plan to make avatars in the Sailor moon Universe, upstage the main cast and win the game. There's just one problem, they set it on Hard Mode!
1. Chapter 1

Sailor Moon: Hard Mode

Matthew fidgeted in his chair as he watched the final cut scene of his (formerly) favorite game coming to a lackluster end.

"You gotta be kidding me!" He shouted at the screen. "That's it! After three games of mowing down indoctrinated robots, crazy music spiders and that pain in the ass counsel I have to listen to Casper the unfunny ghost whine about robots killing people then making more robots to kill people so they won't get killed later by robots!

Matthew watched as his Shepard stood in the Crucible with three choices ahead of him. To his left stood what looked like some kind of panel with two metal rods sticking out of it.

"Choice 1: Control reapers and become supreme badass of the galaxy," said Matthew to himself.

"Obvious trap is obvious, next!"

At the center stood an enormous pillar of green light surrounded by a metal structure.

"Choice 2: Shred myself into confetti and then spew my remains across the stars to turn everyone into the future equivalent of a hybrid car. Sounds nice, next!"

To his right was some large, cylinder thing that he wasn't sure how to describe.

"Choice 3: Blow reapers to hell along with Joker's new vibrator and Legion, uh, I mean the Geth," He frowned. "I have to kill the Geth! Why? I like the Geth, well ok I only really liked Legion but why the Geth? The Geth are cool! Hell! If it were possible I would've let Cerberus make me a full synthetic so I could romance Legion! Can't I just rekill the council and call it a day? Did I mention I really like Legion?

Try as he might he could find no other option but the three in front of him. Despite all the choices and sacrifices he'd made over the years they all somehow came down to three choices. Matt shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Dammit, oh well, I guess I'll go with the one on the right, there won't be any more mecha-squids in my galaxy if I have anything to say about it."

Slowly Matthew led Shepard down the right path until a cut scene took over showing the esteemed commander of the finest combat unit in civilized space and savior of the Milky Way galaxy limping toward the cylinder and blowing it up with a pistol. Matthew sat there and watched the rest of the ending unfold from the crucible lighting up and engulfing the Reapers in a brilliant red light, to Joker piloting the Normandy through a mass relay away from Earth for some strange reason, to the old man telling his kid that I'm the new space Jesus and finally ending on Bioware asking me for more money. Maybe they wanted me to buy a better ending from them?

Matthew stared at his monitor for what seemed like minutes then fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number he knew by heart. He didn't wait long.

"Hey baby what's up?" asked the all too familiar female voice from the other end.

"Hey you mind if I come over? I need something to wash the taste of disappointment out of my mouth and I thought your lips could do the trick."

He could've sworn he heard her eyes rolling at that request. "Yeah we'll see but I told you should've just gotten Skyrim like I did. It's just like the guy at Gamestop said "if you play Mass Effect 3 expecting a decent ending that rewards player input you're gonna have a bad time"".

"I know, I still love the game but that ending is just…well, I just need to do something and wanted to know if you're game,"

"Sure, my parents aren't home so I'm stuck babysitting my brother for a while,"

"Hey!" came a younger male voice from the background.

"Besides, I've found something on the internet I know you'll really like,"

"Like what?"

"Just get over here and see for yourself, bye!" the female voice said as she hung up.

Matthew put his cell phone back in his pocket, stood up and made his way downstairs.

"Having a girl that likes the same stuff I do really kicks ass,"


	2. Chapter 2

Sailor Moon: Hard Mode

Chapter 2

Lisa's house was a quaint split-level that sat in a cul-de-sac. Matt had always teased her family because at night the house looked positively spooky, especially with the small forest in the background. Matt walked up to the door with his laptop tucked under his arm and rang the doorbell. Lisa answered it and greeted him with a smile.

"C'mon in I'm already on the site," she said.

"Well don't mind if I do," he said back with a smirk. He walked through the door, took his girlfriend's hand and kissed it.

"M' Lady," he offered with a smirk.

She giggled and pulled her hand away. He smiled and let out a laugh loud enough to be heard around the house. They walked downstairs into the basement where Lisa's little brother Xavier was busy on a computer. His fingers flitted about the keyboard as entered a torrent of commands to his avatar on-screen.

"Don't aggro the dragons with your AOE until I can pull them away from you man, I'm in bear form!" he yelled at the screen.

His left hand readjusted his earpiece as a voice came through his headset.

"I don't care if I'm just a feral druid! You don't see any Warriors or Pallys covering you do you? I'm the only thing keeping your magical ass from getting bitten off by those mobs man!"

Matt waved at him. "Hey X, what level you on?"

"60, got some new spells and armor, teammates are dumbasses, how are you?" he answered.

"Just got to the end of Mass Effect 3," Matt answered.

Xavier clicked on some icon at the bottom of his screen "Aw man, I'm sorry I know… No, not you! I'm talking to someone else! Aw, forget it we're about to get wiped anyway. I'm out!"

Lisa walked past him and sat down at her computer. "He's been playing pretty much nonstop. He says he wants to catch up to the new level cap so he won't have to play with noobs anymore."

Matt grabbed a chair from the corner and sat down next to her. "So what'd you want to show me all of a sudden?"

She opened a tab on her browser and brought up a white screen with the words "Enter here" in bold Italics.

"ficfusion. com," Matt read from the address bar. "Is this a fanfic site?"

"Not exactly, it's a lot more involved than that," She clicked on another icon and the screen displayed a list of titles all in blue font.

"Okay, so are these all stories?" Matt asked.

"No they're games, see, all of them were made by people that wanted a cross over between any work of fiction with another and then play it. They've got all types of stuff on here."

"Cool, so how do you play?"

"First we need to create a character. Hey Xavy go to the website and log in, I'll show Matt here how to register so he can create a character".

Matt laid his laptop on his lap and opened his browser. "Don't worry I'll do it myself".

"Ok, now you see where it says character source material? Click on that and it should tell you the rest"

Matt did as she commanded and entered the character creator. A box asking for a fictional source appeared with a text box under it. He thought for a minute then typed in Mass Effect 3. Instantly a screen that looked similar to the original game's character creator popped up asking for appearance, class and finally a name.

"Let's see, My Shepard had black hair, hazel eyes and tanned skin, a real ambiguously brown handsome guy that was sure not to get pigeonholed into any stereotypes. My class? Vanguard of course! That charge-nova combo is beastly. Extra abilities? What's that?"

"In this game you can add powers and characteristics to your character that the real game wouldn't allow," Lisa explained.

"Really? Well Imma stack me some biotic abilities and call it a day then,"

When he finished assigning his character his powers it went on to armor. "Wow, whoever made this was thorough. They got the real armors here and everything. Hmm, ooh, Reckoner-knight armor! Got that! Add the N7 logo for style and done! Now all he needs is a name".

"You're talking to yourself again man!" said Xavier.

"So what? I'm thinking of a name and it has to be a good one," Matt countered.

"Just use the one from your main game," Lisa suggested. " I used mine from Skyrim and I've been using her ever since I found the site,".

"Really? What games have you played," asked Matt.

"Resident Evil, Super Mario 64, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and a few others." She answered.

"All of those with the same character? What about the powers and weapons?"

"They're all the same I promise. 'course the game might add a few things to make sure you can actually beat it but it works,".

Now he was skeptical. "All of it works? What if I put Neo from the Matrix and put him into Final Fantasy 7?"

"It'll work." She replied.

"What about Sonic the Hedgehog in Megaman 8?"

"It'll work, probably,"

"Phoenix Wright in Dragonball Z?"

"yep."

"Edward Cullen in Call of Duty,"

"You can even see him sparkle,"

"Kratos from God of War in My Little Pony? asked Xavier finally speaking up.

Both Matt and his sister looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

"Hey Liz, you're little brother's a brony," Matt teased.

"Man shut up! Let's just get this started already we're still waiting for you, you know,"

"Alright, just a second," Matt typed the name into the text box. "My name's Matt Shepard and I am one handsome sonuva bitch,"

"Oh, you're so modest," said Lisa, her words were practically dripping with sarcasm. She then turned her computer's monitor towards him showing a 2-D picture of a blonde-haired female in what looked like a circus outfit. "Here's mine, Elissabetta Alexstraza Dovahkiin, what do you think?"

"I think Harley Quinn needs to stop playing MMOs," answered Xavier. "Seriously Liz? You picked that as your name? Are you even allowed to make a name that long?"

"I like it. It sounds dignified and heroic." Lisa stated.

"It's too long and hard to pronounce," he countered.

"and what about you Rainbow Dash?" Matt teased. "What'd you pick?"

Xavier said nothing; instead he grabbed his monitor and turned toward the older boy. On the screen stood a werewolf with grey fur dressed in what looked a green robe with a hood covering most of its head.

"I'm a Worgen druid from Warcraft," Xavier explained. "My name's Lycan Smellfear".

Both Matt and his sister let out a strained sigh at the pun.

"Alright that's enough of that. What game are we playing?" Matt asked.

Lisa dragged the cursor across the screen and clicked on one the titles highlighted in blue. Immediately a painfully familiar character and logo appeared.

Matt's face fell. "Oh no".

Lisa clasped her hands together, batted her eyelashes and smiled expectantly at him.

"What game did you pick Liz?" asked Xavier. "It looks girly as hell."

"That's because it is," said Matt.

"Oh come on you guys! Just one little game with the three of us," Lisa pleaded.

Matt stared at Lisa's monitor. Memories of an almost forgotten childhood where curiosity had coaxed him into watching a show meant for girls. He remembered the flashing lights, bright colors, confusing stories and awkward attempts by English speaking voice actors to portray Japanese characters. Now he was about to play a weird fan-made game based on that series with his even weirder girlfriend.

"Sailor Moon. Out of all the games on the list you just had to pick Sailor Moon".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Leaving Earth for Earth

"Sailor Moon. Out of all the games on the list you just had to pick Sailor Moon".

"C'mon just one game, for me?" Lisa pleaded.

"Sailor Moon? What's that?" asked Xavier.

"It's an anime from the early nineties about Japanese girls fighting gay aliens and evil strippers," Matt explained.

Both he and Xavier chuckled at his summary but Lisa just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I don't know why you're laughing. You told me that you used to watch it on Toonami back in the day".

Matt shrugged his shoulders then leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, but I only watched it 'cause it used to come on before the shows I actually wanted to watch and didn't feel like changing the channel. I barely remember much of it anyway."

Suddenly, Xavier sat up in his chair. "Wait, you mean that show with the blonde girl and the talking cat?"

"Uh, I could think of dozen shows with that premise but yes," Matt confirmed.

"Why make a game out of that?" he asked.

"Why not?" Lisa countered. "Think about it. Whoever made the game had to know what would happen when he or she made it right? So won't it be funny if we take our characters and put them in the game?" 

Matt gave it some thought, a human spaceship commander with telekinetic powers, a shape shifting hippie werewolf and a Norse warrior with the soul of a dragon fighting monsters in early nineties Tokyo with a magical girl in a fetishized school uniform. He couldn't help but chuckle at the image.

"Sounds like fun. I'll do it," he repeated.

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Dude, you serious?"

Matt nodded his head. "But on one condition," he added. "You set the game on the highest difficulty".

"Why?" asked Lisa.

"Because one of the things I do remember about Sailor Moon was that the main villains were rock stupid and their minions were a bunch of pushovers. I mean we are talking about a show for little girls here, it'd be too easy if we set it on anything lower".

"Don't write a game off as easy just because it's aimed at kids," she warned. "Remember when you found that emulator that played Battletoads?"

"Yeah, I think that was either before or after our first date," he answered. "'cause I know we needed something to vent our frustration on and my parents weren't home so we-"

"Oh for the love of-, just start the game already, man! I don't need to hear this!" Xavier yelled as he covered his ears.

This time it was Matt and Lisa's turn to laugh. "Relax Xavy! He means we started playing Street Fighter Alpha instead. What were you thinking little brother?"

The embarrassed boy turned away and faced his computer. "Nothing, I'm ready when you are".

"Same here," said Matt. "I'm already in the queue and waiting for you to start".

Lisa began typing away at her keyboard. "Alright, let's see, three players, hard difficulty, am I sure? Yes, am I really sure? What? Yes! Ok and start!"

Immediately their screens went dark as the game started. Then a silhouette of a woman carrying some kind of staff faded in and text began to scroll from the bottom of the screen.

_Long ago when my queen lived her kingdom shown down on the Earth as the moon shines in the sacred night. Its people knew naught but peace and love in all their days but to my deepest regret it was not to last. A witch from Earth aligned herself with an evil force from beyond the stars and brought chaos and ruin upon us. The Sailor Senshi, the defenders of our once tranquil kingdom, laid down their lives to protect our queen and her daughter from the calamity but despite their best efforts they were defeated. Our princess and her lover were the last to fall. Her Kingdom in shambles she used the power of her Royal line, the Silver Crystal, to seal the enemy away in the Earth and to send the souls of the dead to the future to be reincarnated._

_One-thousand years have passed and the princess and her Senshi have been reborn in modern times but I fear for my princess. The enemy that destroyed our kingdom has reemerged and neither she nor her senshi are prepared to face it yet. Therefore, I have no choice but to turn to you._

When the text finished scrolling color began to replace the pure black inside the lines of the silhouette. When it was finished a woman dressed in what looked like a white leotard, long white gloves and a purple skirt appeared behind more text.

_I have called out across all of creation searching for those who could help us in this great time of need. I am grateful that you have answered the call. Please you must help the princess; she is the future of our world._

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi! You're my only hope!" squealed Xavier in a mocking falsetto.

Matt kept himself from snickering. "She looks familiar, who is she?"

"She's Sailor Pluto," Lisa answered. "She's the Senshi of Time and Guardian of the Gates of Time."

"You mean she can control time? Why does she need anyone else then? Why not just travel back in time and stop all that stuff she was talking about in the first place?" Her little brother questioned.

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I think she wasn't allowed to or something."

"Whatever! I'm counting it as a plot hole," said Xavier. He stared at his monitor which was now showing a plain black screen with no trace of Sailor Pluto or the scrolling text. He right-clicked his mouse a few times then tried pressing the escape key on his keyboard.

"Hey sis I think the game froze my computer I can't do crap!"

"Mine's frozen too," echoed Matt. "Lisa I think this game is bugged."

"That's weird so is mine. It was working fine the last time I played it," she said.

"Maybe it can't handle three players," Xavier suggested. "Can't expect too much from a fan-made game on an obscure website".

Matt was beginning to feel frustrated. He tried the control-alt-delete combination but still the black screen stubbornly stayed on his computer monitor. The only thing he could think to do now would be to remove his laptop's battery and pray he hadn't gotten a virus from the site but before he could even reach his hand under to turn his beloved machine over his whole world went black.

The first thought that came to his mind was that the power must have gone out in the house. Of course that didn't make sense since it was far too dark even for a blackout or the fact that it was still day time. The second thing he noticed was that he couldn't move. It was as if his arms and legs had completely vanished, he couldn't even feel them. He was afraid. He tried calling out to his friends, tried screaming at them for help but it was no use. He couldn't scream. He couldn't even whisper, he had no mouth, no voice. Wherever he was remained completely silent, he soon realized that even if he could scream no one could hear him. There was no sound!

All he could do was "float" there trapped with nothing but his increasingly terrified thoughts to keep him company but this blackness that had consumed him seemed intent of stripping everything from him. He began to feel smaller somehow. No his thoughts! His mind was shrinking! As time passed it was getting harder and harder to think. His brain just seemed to have collapsed in on itself like a dying star. Now he could think of nothing, not even the fear was left. Try as he might he could not form a thought. Just nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing…

Matt awoke with a start and gulped down a lung full of air as if he had almost drowned and been brought back to the surface. He opened his eyes and put a hand over his chest to try to calm his racing heart. He sat there panting trying to reassure himself that he was alive when a stunning realization overtook him.

"My hands! My eyes! My face, arms, legs, they're back, I'm back!" he blurted out. He couldn't help it. He was free of whatever it was that trapped him and he could think again. He was so relieved he could cry.

"While I'm sure we're all just as happy that you decided to join us in the waking world as you Shepard-san need I remind you the consequences for sleeping in class?" a voice Matt definitely did not recognize admonished.

For the first time since waking up he actually took stock of his surroundings. He was in a classroom somehow and surrounded by Asian faces that looked they were in their early teens. He then looked down at himself. He was wearing a blue uniform of some kind, the kind Japanese schoolchildren wear, the kind he had seen countless times in manga and anime. He looked around, nothing but curious and even a few giggling faces stared back at him and of course the face of the older red-haired woman that was trying to talk to him.

"Uh…" he moaned. The confusion was so great his brain just seemed to have crawled into a little hole like a frightened mouse.

"Shepard-san, please pay attention," instructed the older woman.

"What?" he answered groggily.

"Shepard-san, I am asking you to please pay attention," she repeated.

"What?"

"Pay attention!"

"What?"

The entire class erupted in a fit of giggles. The older woman buried her face her right palm and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Shepard-san, I know you're a new exchange student and adapting to a new school and a new culture can be difficult but that doesn't excuse you from your responsibility as a student. Do you understand?"

Matt tried to think of his response but his brain refused to leave the warm blanket of ignorance it had retreated into.

"What?"

"Ok, that's it! Shepard-san since you seem to be having trouble understanding me why don't you try to clear your head outside."

Matt nodded, stood and tried to walk. He made it half a step before he misjudged the placement of his feet and fell flat on his face. What were once giggles grew into uproarious laughter at his expense. For her part the older woman, the teacher, simply sighed and pointed to the door. Keeping track of his limbs, he pushed himself up from the floor and robotically made his way outside.

His mind, now more alert after the spill in the classroom, tried to get some answers to the numerous questions buzzing around in his mind. What he was able to answer frightened him. For the first time he actually looked down at his body, really examining it rather than just making sure it was all there. He contemplated the size the desk, the height of the teacher who had told him to stand outside and the nagging feeling that the world seemed bigger somehow.

A bulletin board hung on the wall to his left. Covering it was a layer of clean glass that reflected the sunlight when seen from the right angle. He stood in front of it and stared his reflection. What he saw shocked him. Straight black hair, golden eyes, light brown skin, lack of facial hair and a youthful, childish face looked back at him. He leaned against the wall just outside the door of the classroom and sank to his knees.

"What?" he asked himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Matt sat in the hall with his face in his hands. Everything he knew about how the world was supposed to work was telling him that this was impossible. Somehow his body had changed; he was smaller, younger and had somehow changed in appearance completely. Then there was the fact he was in a school but he didn't recognize the teacher, the students or even the classroom. Something in the back of his mind was nagging that he had seen something like this place before, like in a picture or a movie.

As he struggled for any kind of explanation he heard footsteps heading toward him. He lifted his head up and saw a girl roughly the same age dressed in the female version of the school uniform. Now, Matt considered himself a true gentleman and as such he wouldn't even think of glancing in the direction of another woman so long as he had Lisa but he had to admit, this girl was beautiful! She was tall, with auburn hair and light brown eyes while her face sported very dignified European features. When he was done admiring the pretty girl walking toward him he noticed that she seemed very worried and yet lost in thought at the same time. Her eyes kept wandering the hall as if the building confused her somehow. Considering she obviously wasn't from wherever this is was he deduced that she was lost.

Finally, the girl walked in front of him, stopped, and then looked down. Matt averted his eyes to make it clear he wasn't staring at her like an idiot. She looked at the door with that same overly curious gaze she had since he had laid eyes on her. She turned toward Matt and smiled at him in a way that made him think she was trying too hard to look natural.

"Uh, this is…uh, Ms. Haruna's classroom isn't it?" she asked.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know the name of the teacher. This is my first day here so I guess you'll have to ask". _Although the name does sound familiar somehow, _he thought.

The girl returned her attention to the door, took a deep breath and then walked into the classroom.

_Must be her first day_, he reasoned. By her looks she seemed to be a foreign-exchange student like he was supposedly. That's when a terrible thought hit him. If he was here, where were Lisa and Xavier? Did they get sucked into this school too or were they back home? And how was he going to get out here? He tried to calm the rising fear by taking deep breaths only to be reminded that the body doing the breathing wasn't his and he know looked like he was barely fourteen instead of the latter half of seventeen.

Before he could sink further into hopelessness the pretty girl's head popped out from the door and looked down at him.

"Ms. Haruna wants us both to introduce ourselves to the class since we're both new,"

Matt tried his best to regain his composure before pushing himself off the floor. He nodded toward the girl and followed her into class.

Once again he could feel the eyes of the students boring holes into him. Unless they all had the memories of goldfish there was no way they had forgotten his little fiasco just a short while ago but he also caught those same eyes staring at the new girl with a very different feeling, especially from the class' male half.

_Can't blame 'em,_ he thought.

Both he and the new girl stood next to each other like statues as they faced the awaiting faces of their "peers".

"Now I know we all had a little laugh earlier at Shepard-san's expense but I wanted to let him and our other new student introduce themselves formally. Hopefully it'll give you all a small lesson in foreign culture as well," Ms. Haruna announced.

_Seriously, Haruna, I know that name from somewhere but it just won't come to me! _No matter how hard he tried to pry the info from the tips of his fingersMatt's memories just refused to offer up what they knew about the teacher's identity. He was so frustrated that he didn't realize that the girl standing next to him was staring at him.

"Shepard-san you may address the class," said the teacher.

Reluctantly, the young man in a younger man's body put his thoughts on hold.

_Better do what she says,_ his thought.

"Hi, I'm Matthew Shepard and this is my favorite class in the school," he announced with the straightest smile he could muster. He honestly hadn't meant to recite the line from Mass Effect but since he had no idea who he was supposed to be why not try it? It even felt strangely appropriate somehow. He watched as more confused and amused looks appeared on the faces on the school kids. He wondered if maybe they had gotten the reference. Suddenly he felt a hand on his right shoulder. Turning to face the owner of that hand he met the eyes of none other than the cute girl who had walked into class with him only this time her eyes were wide with surprise and…hope?

"Matt? Is-"

"I'M HERE!" squealed a high-pitched voice from the classroom door.

Matt jumped at the new voice as he and the entire class turned their attention toward it. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to jump again and scream when he saw who had just walked into the classroom. There, standing in the doorway and out of breath from what must have been a desperate but futile attempt not to be late, was a blonde girl with pigtails so long it was wonder she hadn't tripped over them.

"I'M SORRY I'M LATE BUT LU-, MY MOM FORGOT TO WAKE ME UP AND THEN I FELL AND-

"Tsukino-san, what are the rules for coming to class on time?" asked Ms. Haruna in a tone inherent in all teachers that had to deal with problem students.

"BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT I REALLY TRIED AND-

"Tsukino-san you have to take responsibility for-

"IT'S SO FAR FROM MY HOUSE TO SCHOOL AND I GOT HUNGRY SO I ATE TOO MUCH AND MY STOMACH HURTS AND JUST PLEASE DON'T PUNISH ME FOR THIS I-

"USAGI JUST TAKE YOUR SEAT!" yelled the teacher as her patience finally snapped.

The befuddled blonde tried and failed to hide her embarrassment behind her school bag as she walked past Matt and the auburn-haired girl. When she reached a seat by the window she plopped herself into it and kept her head down like she was trying pick whatever was left of her dignity off the floor. Meanwhile, Matt was left entirely speechless by the late girl. Every logical part of his mind told him just how impossible it was for **her** to be here. Just looking at that girl's head brought back a wave of memories about the show he'd only partially admit to watching when he was younger. He stole a look behind him to see the very annoyed form of the teacher had such a hard time remembering.

"_Ms. Haruna, the teacher, Serena's teacher! And this school, I'm in Juban, I'm in Tokyo, I'M IN JAPAN!"_

"Holy shit," Matt muttered to himself.

"What was that Shepard-san?" asked the now entirely too recognizable teacher.

Matt backpedaled, hard. "Uh, me? Nothing, nothing! Just an American thing Ms. Haruna, I mean Haruna-san, No! I mean Haruna-sensei!"

His haphazard explanation managed to satisfy the woman for the time being.

"Well now that that's been settled we can return to the introductions. Dobakeen-san you may address the class,"

"Doba- WHAT?" Matt yelped. He could have heard her wrong over the accent but he had to be sure. He turned to the wholly unfamiliar girl he had met only a while ago out in the hall and looked at her, really looked at her. Judging by her face her thoughts weren't too far from his as she turned from Matt, back to the teacher and then to the class before making a decision.

"My name is Elissabeta Alexstraza Dovahkiin!" she stated. The girl then turned toward him again, this time trembling. Matt knew why.

"Lisa," he said. It wasn't a question. Somehow whatever force that brought him here had also brought his girlfriend to Japan in a different body and who knows how long she's been here?

"Matt!" Lisa cried as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Matt, it's really you! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Lisa," he tried to calm her by returning the hug. "Lisa, what's going on? Where are we?"

"I don't know!" she answered in a frightened voice.

"Ahem!" The lost couple broke from each other as they realized that they had just made a scene in front of the whole class. Behind them they could see that the already flustered teacher was not amused by their theatrics.

"Shepard-san, Dobakeen-san,"

"Yes?" Matt and Lisa answered in unison.

"TAKE YOUR SEATS!"

With no further instruction they both rushed out into the class and took the first seat they could find. Lisa sat near the front just behind a girl with long hair while Matt was forced to the back. They sat there the entire class period almost frozen in shock and completely shutting everything out other than their desire to talk to each other again. When Haruna-sensei finally announced the end of class Matt and Lisa immediately began wading through the desks to meet each other.

"Hold on, Tsukino, Shepard and Dobakeen may I have a word with you three?" said the teacher as she summoned the three to the front of the class.

Reluctantly, all three targets of the teacher's ire appeared before her. Matt's eyes were locked on the ground while Lisa couldn't help but tremble uneasily.

She turned on pigtailed-blonde first. "Now, Tsukino-san how many times have we had this conversation,"

The poor girl seemed almost lost for words. "Um, a lot,"

"Yes, a lot. In fact it's come to the point where might have to inform your parents,"

The blonde girl's eyes widened in sheer terror. "Please don't tell them!" she begged.

"I'll be on time, I swear!"

"Then be sure you do!" The teacher's threat worked marvelously as the cowed girl hung her head and walked somberly out of class.

With a certain main character out of the room the woman then turned her attention to her two newest students.

"Now I may not entirely be aware of how people greet each other in your native countries but you must understand how things are done here. I will not tolerate an outburst like that in my class,"

Matt and Lisa nodded.

"On the other hand," she began again this time taking on a more sympathetic tone. "I know noticed how you two reacted when you introduced yourselves. Is there something I should know?"

The two looked at each other wondering whether the other could possibly explain just what had happened to them.

"Uh, well, you see…" Matt began.

"We're friends and we haven't seen each other in a long time," Lisa picked up where Matt left off.

"So we were both just overwhelmed, you know? Plus we're still getting used to things," Matt tried to suppress the anxiety simmering within him. Truth be told he was ready jump out of his, or someone else's, skin.

Ms. Haruna let out a sigh and rested her chin in the palm of her right hand. "I know being in a new country can be hard to adjust to but both of you must learn how things are done here. I'll let you two go for now to get settled in but no more outbursts from now on, understand?" Either their nervous act worked or maybe the teacher just didn't want to deal with teenagers after a long day doing just that. Whatever the case the two breathed a sigh of relief as their lie seem to satisfy the woman.

"You're free to go, I'll see you tomorrow,"

Matt and Lisa both nodded, exited the room and spilled out into the hallway. They kept silent as they walked briskly passed the hundreds of unfamiliar faces. Neither knew their way around the school but it was easy enough to follow the general flow of students to the exit. When they reached the school grounds Lisa guided Matt toward a group of trees just far enough to be out of earshot of anyone.

Matt leaned against the trunk of one of the trees as he tried to think of something to say. Lisa hadn't said a word since they left the classroom and given the trouble they were in he couldn't blame her. Even if on an intellectual level he knew that the girl in front of him was his girlfriend, she looked so radically different from the Lisa he knew he scarcely believed she was the same person. The most obvious difference was that she was younger, roughly about the same age he himself looked now. Her hair had gone from black to a light auburn, almost red, and her body while shorter than before was slimmer and more toned than he remembered. Finally, the most obvious change was her face. She looked absolutely nothing like girl he had been seeing for the past year. Her eyes were bigger and yet managed to retain a distinct almond-shape, her cheeks were high and quite visible and finally her nose was smaller though not quite as small as some of the Asian girls he had seen since they got here. In all she looked like a European exchange student, not that he had any room to talk.

Matt looked down at his hands, his new hands. The fact that the hands he had yesterday and the ones he had now were different had just begun to sink in. He remembered the small cut on his right hand he had gotten when he was little playing with the neighbor's pit-bull and got too close its teeth, or the small dent in his middle finger's nail on his left hand he'd received when his old friend Kyle had just gotten back from karate practice and wanted to show off. They were all gone now. His new hands were pristine in comparison; even his fingernails were perfectly manicured. He could only imagine what Lisa thought of him now. She hadn't said a word to him the entire time; in fact she was still looking at her feet. Was she still not sure if it was really him? He knew he had to say something; they had to figure what the hell just happened.

"Lisa, I know…" Matt began. He was still feeling the shock from all this, it was hard to think straight. Just forming a proper sentence was difficult.

"Lisa, I know none of this makes sense now and to tell you the truth I'm scared shitless but we have to remember who we are even if we don't look like ourselves right now. Lisa?"

She didn't say a word to him. She hadn't even lifted her head to look at him. What was she thinking?

He walked toward her slowly. "Lisa, are you alright? Lisa?"

She answered by turning away from him and crossing her arms. That scared him. Was she mad at him? Did something to happen to her before they met in class? Or was it something he did?

"Lisa please talk to me! Please tell me you're alright! Lisa" on a whim he reached for her. This time she didn't pull away, instead she faced him with eyes full of tears. Even if he had only known Lisa for little better than a year he had never seen her cry before. She just wasn't that type of girl.

Then she did something else he hadn't expected. She hugged him, held him close as if she was trying not get blown away in a storm. It was all he could do but stand there and return her embrace. They both knew that they had never been so scared in their lives.

"We have to get out of here," Matt muttered. "Back home".


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sky over head changed from a deep blue to a vibrant array or oranges and pinks as the afternoon light washed over the city. It seemed so strange that even though they were so far from home the sky would go through the same motions as if nothing had happened. It wasn't too long ago that her world went black and silent and every sense of self she had come to rely on since she had been born had abandoned her. She still shuddered whenever she thought about it, when the light finally came back it was only to welcome her to a new world, a new country and a new body.

Who knows how many times she looked down at the body just to reaffirm what she already knew. She looked down at the fingers and flexed them. She brought them up to the face to feel the totally alien features it now sported. It was a face that told lies to the whole world about the person underneath. How could anyone know the real Lisa when this face was in the way? She looked away from the hands and spotted the boy she had been calling her boyfriend. She felt terrible for admitting it but she was glad he was in the same predicament she was. At least she wasn't alone in this and she was grateful to him for comforting her when it all became just a bit overwhelming.

"Lisa, listen,"

She turned the head toward him. He was looking at her with eyes that while still strange to her were still full of concern.

"We have to go somewhere else soon before someone starts asking questions about us we can't answer,"

Lisa agreed. "Where are we going to go?" As the soon as she asked the question even more of them flooded her mind as if a damn had broken.

"Where are we going to live? How are we going to get home? Who's going to recognize us?"

Matt looked away from her and lowered his head. She knew that he must be trying to think of something but what?

"Hey Guys!" Immediately both Matt and Lisa jumped in surprise as a brown-haired boy dressed in the school uniform ubiquitous on all the male students and with the thickest pair of glasses either of them had ever seen popped in between them out of nowhere.

"Dobakeen-san! I heard you're the new foreign exchange student!" "Do you mind if I ask you and Shepard-San some questions? The school really wants to know all about you two!" the strange boy said with an uncanny enthusiasm.

Before Lisa could answer him he quickly turned toward Matt. "Hey, Shepard-san you're an American right? I've never met an American before! Why did you decide to come to Japan? How long are you going stay? Is it true you and Dobakeen-San are in relationship?"

"Woah, hold on a minute!" Matt raised his hands in front of him hoping to stop the barrage of questions directed at him. Mentally, he kicked himself for not leaving sooner before this nosy kid had a chance to corner Lisa and Him. This was definitely not something they needed right now.

"Could you just give us a minute here Melvin? This all still new to us," when the surprise from the boy's sudden appearance wore off Lisa remembered just who this newcomer was. Melvin was a minor character in the original Sailor Moon series and was known for gathering information and hanging around Serena and Molly. In short, he was stereotypical nerd used mostly for comedic relief.

Melvin turned toward Lisa with a look of confusion on his face. "Hm? Who's Melvin? Is someone else here?"

"Uh, no, I mean I thought your name was Melvin," She said.

"Nope, it's…Oh! I forgot to introduce myself!" He immediately straightened himself up as if he was about to give a speech then materialized a small notebook in his hand so quickly that neither misplaced American saw where it came from.

"I'm Umino Gurio but everyone just calls me Umino! I'm the expert on information here in Juuban and not too shabby academics-wise if I do say so myself! But enough about me, that's common knowledge, I want to know about you two!"

Matt and Lisa looked at each other nervously. What could they say to make the overzealous Japanese kid go away?

"Oi! Umino-san have you seen Naru?" almost as quickly as Umino had appeared the girl with the long blonde pigtails came running up to join the group.

Umino shook his head and let out a sigh. "Sorry, I haven't seen her since class but I think she really wanted to talk to you. Shiratori Mika is doing a show this weekend and she's looking for new talent!". Umino then pulled out a large roll of paper and unfurled it revealing a poster with a pretty brunette girl in an orange dress. Across the poster the words "Be a Star!" shown proudly over the image of the elegant idol.

"You like it? I got it from the internet!" he said proudly.

"There you are, Usagi!" came a new female voice heading toward the group. To Umino's right a girl with a green ribbon in her hair appeared with an excited smile on her face.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to practice singing together!"

"Sure! We can go over my house! I've got Shiratori's latest single in my room so we can practice all we want!" The enthusiastic pig-tailed girl looked like she was going hop right out of her shoes at the idea. Then she suddenly turned toward Lisa with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Hey, Dobakeen-san do you want to practice with us?" she asked.

Lisa stared at her with wide eyes. She was still trying to figure out how she and Matt would even survive in this world and now the main character was asking her to be part of a singing contest?

"I, uh, I don't know if…" she stammered.

"Usagi, we just met a little while ago. Isn't it a bit awkward to just ask her to sing with us?"

The friendly blonde blinked at the brunette in confusion. "Well how do we make friends if we don't do stuff together?"

"We'll do it!" Matt blurted out. All eyes turned to him at his outburst, especially Lisa's.

"Uh, that is, if you don't mind, Se…Usagi". Matt cleared his throat and took a breath to steady himself. "See, we haven't really made any friends here in Japan since we got here and…and our sponsor said we should try to get involved with the local culture".

Matt hoped that his lie would convince the surrounding company. Luckily it did as Usagi chirped up immediately.

"That's great! You guys can meet my family!" Still giggling with excitement she grabbed Lisa hand and started to lead her away from the trees and toward the sidewalk leading away from the school.

"Usagi! Wait for me!" Naru called out to her.

"Hold up! I coming too!" Matt broke into a jog after the girls before the disappeared from a sight.

"Bye you guys! See you tomorrow!" Umino called out as the trio disappeared from sight.

The four quickly headed off the school campus and onto the sidewalk. Matt stayed close to Lisa as they waded into the crowd of busy Japanese people going every which way in the sunny afternoon. Along the way Lisa spotted a man walking into a phone booth in front of a convenience store, strange seeing as she thought a country like Japan would've phased the relics out of service years ago. Everywhere they looked people went about their business as usual. It all seemed completely normal except for the few odd hair colors here and there. It was the first time either of them had seen so many people walking through the streets and also the first time they felt so many eyes staring at them.

Lisa beckoned Matt closer so she could whisper. "You noticed the way people are staring at us?"

He nodded. "Well we are foreigners. Guess we'll just have to get used to it,".

"I don't want to get used to it! I want to go home!"

"So do I! But how? I'm not even sure all of this really happening. I mean we're hanging out with Sailor Freaking Moon for god sakes!"

"It's not that much farther guys! I promise!" said Usagi as she and Naru walked ahead of the bewildered couple.

Soon the tall buildings of concrete and glass of the city gave way to the smaller and quieter suburbs as an unassuming house with a single car parked in the driveway soon came into view. Usagi broke off into a jog as she was eager to finally be home after a long day of school.

As the she came closer to the house, Lisa began to feel uneasy. If her memory of the show was correct that meant that Usagi's parents and her little brother would be there and that meant they would ask even more uncomfortable questions.

She nudged Matt's arm. "Matt what are we going do?"

"About what?"

"About Usagi's mom! She'll want to know all about us."

"It's cool. Just play confused foreigner and pretend you don't understand half of what she says".

"But we can understand them! We've been talking to them the whole time!"

Matt thought about this. Ever since they had come to Japan he had no trouble understanding anyone even though he only knew a few phrases in Japanese at best. To him it had all sounded like English. Come to think of it he had no trouble reading anything either. How the hell did that happen?

"I'm home!" yelled Usagi as she and Naru walked through the door. "Hey Mom, Dad, me and Naru met two Americans at school today!"

Said Americans winced at Usagi's announcement. They'd hoped that they could avoid as many people as possible before they had a chance to figure things out but alas the tall, long-haired figure of Usagi's mother came walking into the foyer. She offered everyone a warm smile before turning to Matt and Lisa.

"It's such a rare pleasure to have foreign exchange students in our home! You two must have worked very hard for the chance to come all the way to Japan!"

"Yes, it was! Really hard…like…like you wouldn't believe!" Lisa answered awkwardly. She found it hard to look the woman in the face.

Matt did his best to look respectful. "Thank you ma'am,"

"And polite too! Usagi –chan you could learn a lot from such intelligent and motivated young people,"

The pleasant woman's smile never left her face but the atmosphere had definitely changed as the jab at the poor pig-tailed girl's academic performance wasn't missed.

"Oh, Mom," she groaned.

"Actually, we wanted to practice our singing and Usagi invited us over. We haven't had a chance to make friends since we came here but she was kind enough to spend time with us," said Lisa.

"Well I'm glad. Usagi's always been able to make friends easily. If you need anything, Kenji and I will be downstairs,"

"Thank you," Lisa bowed to the older woman the way she'd seen it done in countless shows back home.

"Likewise," Matt mimicked Lisa and followed her, Naru and Usagi up the stairs.

When they finally reached what they assumed was Usagi's room Lisa couldn't help but take a good look around. To anyone else it looked like a normal girl's room but given the situation she and her boyfriend were in she couldn't help but be amazed. In the anime Usagi's room appeared small, probably due to the way the animators had chosen to present it but now that she was actually standing there the room looked much bigger and more "lived in" with a few clothes on the floor and various throw pillows strewn about. The whole experience felt so surreal.

"I've got Shiratori-san's tape right here," Naru held up a cassette tape and walked over to the tape player sitting on the desk in the corner of the room.

Matt raised an eyebrow "Whoa! A cassette? I didn't think you still used those,"

"Why? How else are we supposed to listen to her music?" asked Naru.

"I don't know, I thought that thing played CDs."

"Are you kidding? Those cost way too much!"

"Really? Are they that expensive in Japan? In the U.S. they're almost on their way out on the count of them being replaced by mp3s,"

Both Usagi and Naru looked at each other in confusion "What's an mp3?" they asked in unison.

This time it was the American's turn to look confused. "You know, music files people download from the internet, mostly for free"

Both girls shook their heads. "I think you've been talking to Umino too much. He's the only one who knows anything about that computer stuff," answered Naru.

"Are you serious?" Matt looked absolutely dumbfounded. "How can you not know what an mp3 is?"

Just then Lisa leaned on his shoulder and quickly whispered in his ear. "Shut up"

Matt gave her an odd look. "Why?"

"Just do it! I'll tell you later!" Her voice made it clear she didn't want to argue. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders in return.

She turned back to the confused pair of girls with an uneasy yet apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. We forget sometimes that not everywhere is like the States,"

"Well that's alright," said Naru. "How about we start singing to lighten the mood?

"C'mon Dobakeen-san! You can sing with us if you want!" Usagi offered.

"No thanks, I've never heard the song before so you two can just go ahead and sing. Matt and I will judge. And call me Lisa from now on. I know Dovahkiin can be hard to pronounce let alone my full name,"

"What's your full name?" asked a curious Usagi.

Lisa thought for a moment. "Elisabeta Alexstraza Dovahkiin," she answered.

Usagi's eyes widened. "Wow you're right! I've never be able to say that! It sounds pretty but it's soooo long!"

"So I've been told," thoughts of her missing brother came rushing back as did the worry.

"Well then let's get started," said Naru as she pressed a button o her cassette player and the two began to sing.

As soon as the music reached her ears she instantly recognized the melody as the Sailor moon theme song. She looked over to Matt and found the same look of surprise on his face. She almost found herself singing the lyrics until the voices of their two new friends trampled over that urge with the rest of the song.

_I'm sooorry I'm not straightforward, I can say it in my dreams!_

_My thoughts are about to short circuit, I want to see you right noooow!_

Matt and Lisa cringed. There was no way around it. They were terrible, godawful, like two squeaky voiced five-year olds trying to beat the lyrics into submission. On top that they had no rhythm, she didn't know why they even bothered playing the tape.

Suddenly, the door opened and a boy with sandy blonde hair poked his head through. "You guys suck! I've heard neutered cats sing better!

Both girls turned to the bay in anger. "Shingo! Get out of here!"yelled Usagi.

"Yeah! We're practicing for when Mika-chan picks us to be stars!" Naru added.

"You'd be lucky if she picks you to be janitors with a voice like that!" he shot back with a snicker. "See ya!" With that he closed the door and left two very annoyed teenage girls in his wake.

"Forget him!" said Usagi in a huff. "We don't need his opinion anyway!"

She turned toward Matt and Lisa with an expectant smile on her face.

"Uh, it's not bad…kinda," Lisa began. "You just need more practice,"

"A lot more," said Matt. Lisa elbowed him but he stood his ground. "If you really want to get better you have to be prepared to be told when you aren't good at something, especially if you want to win. Saying that do you two really want to know what I think?"

Usagi and Naru nodded their heads.

"I think that if there is anyone with any talent at that contest you two would probably lose,"

"Matt!" shouted in Lisa.

"What I'm just telling the truth!"

"It's still rude! We're all trying to have fun!"

"Well I'm sorry but if they want to stand a chance they need to know that they have to improve or else they'll just get embarrassed,"

"Well you could be a little more polite about it!"

"I thought we were pretty good!" said Usagi

Naru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, as a duet we'd be unbeatable!"

A knock at the door abruptly caught everyone's attention and swiftly opened to reveal Mrs. Tsukino.

"Oh, Shepard-san, please come downstairs quickly! Your mother is on the phone and I'd hate to keep her waiting on the line for a long-distance call,"

Matt jumped to his feet. "What'd you say?"

"Your mother dear, she's calling all the way from America to talk to you,"

A pall of silence fell over the room as the couple who had found themselves in the world of fiction as if by magic had heard something impossible. Matt didn't say a word. He simply looked back at Lisa in disbelief. "How did she…I mean…" He had no words for what he was feeling now. His shock was so great he could barely keep a straight face.

"Thank you," was all he could say before quickly following the kind woman downstairs.

Lisa for her part was left speechless. If Matt's mom could call here it meant they could find their way home.

Usagi looked at her askance. "What's wrong Lisa? You look weird,"

Lisa was snapped out of her thoughts by Usagi's question. "No, nothing it's just that we weren't expecting a call so soon," she lied.

"Must be hard being so far away from home, huh?" asked Usagi.

Lisa was about to offer her some reassurance when she felt something warm and furry brush past her leg. "Mreow!"

"Oh, Luna! I almost forgot you were here!" Usagi bent down picked a black cat up from the floor and carried it in her arms.

"She must have felt crowded from having so many people in my room," she began affectionately petting the dark feline. She smiled at Lisa and held out her arms.

"You want to hold her?"

All of sudden Lisa felt nervous. She just stared intently at the cat's forehead where a crescent moon turned on its side shown prominently.

* * *

><p>Earlier that day, a dignified woman sat at her desk and looked out at the rows of students in front of her. She knew it was her duty as a science teacher to watch over and instruct young minds in her chosen area of expertise. Any other science teacher would've relished the opportunity, after all she was employed in the most prestigious and competitive school in the country and if the rows of top-tier students in front of her didn't convince her of the institution's status her "enhanced" teacher's salary certainly did. Still she couldn't help but feel bored. Not just with watching but with teaching. What was the point? No matter how "smart" these children thought they were they were all sub-par by her standards and she made sure that they understood that. Above all else they needed to know just how little they mattered in the grander scheme of things. For this reason it was so irksome that today would be the day she'd get a new student.<p>

Such a thing was rare. The entry requirements of the school were so rigorous that only the most elite from the city's population had any hope of entering at the beginning of the semester let alone a transfer but what stunned the woman the most was that the student was sleeping. In her class! There was no mistaking it. His head was down and she could clearly see the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he dozed off.

Without uttering a word and she rose from her desk and ran her slender fingers through her long, white hair and made her way across the room. Her body moved like a machine. Every movement made with purpose and precision. The distinct clacking of her heels and assured demeanor made it clear she meant to mete out punishment. The few students she passed looked up at her in curiosity before quickly returning to their studies once they saw what mood she was in. Finally after an insufferable period of tension the woman's heels finally came to a stop. She looked down to find the boy still fast asleep despite her close proximity. Seeing as her presence proved insufficient to awaken him she decided to take the direct approach. She picked up book from an adjacent desk and slammed it down in front him. The noise took the class by surprise noted by the audible gasps she heard.

The boy's slumber ended with a snort as the sound had dragged him into the waking world.

"You grace me with your attention," said the teacher to the boy. There was no sincerity in her voice.

The boy turned his head at last to the teacher and regarded her with a tired, half-lidded expression. No doubt his mind still had not shaken the drowsiness of sleep. Once she saw his face it was clear the boy was foreign born. She watched as his steel-gray eyes wandered up and down her figure and an annoyed expression appeared on his face.

"The hell you want?"

Her hardened expression turned to one of astonishment as she could scarcely believe her own ears. Again he looked her up and down, this time with a bit more clarity in his eyes.

"Damn, you're sexy. You wanna come over to my house?"

Never before had Yui Bidou's eyes had gotten so large.

* * *

><p><em>So here it is after a long absence. Yeah, college and computer problems will do that but at least we've gotten to an interesting part in the story. Honestly, you're feedback is what keeps me going. This whole writer thing is both fun and challenging. <em>

_This chapter turned out longer then I had planned originally and that last part practically demanded to be written! Until next time!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Matt held the receiver to his ear and waited anxiously to hear a voice on the other end. When Usagi's mom told him that his mom had called he couldn't believe it. An overwhelming feeling of hope and happiness surged into his chest and it was taking all of his willpower to keep from jumping up and down like a five-year old on his birthday. If mom could call him it mean they could send for help and get out whatever crazy situation they found themselves in. They could go home!

As soon as he heard the small click at the other end he practically yelled into the receiver. "Hello! Mom? You there? I know this gonna sound weird but Me and Lisa are in Japan and we can't find Xavier!"

He stopped to catch his breath as he had sounded far more afraid and desparate than he had meant to.

"I apologize for the confusion Mr. Shepard but this was the only feasible way I could get in contact with you".

Matt's spirits plummeted as he realized that the female voice on the line wasn't his mother's.

"Hello?" he asked tentatively. Even if it wasn't his mom maybe someone they knew had contacted them somehow.

"Please listen to me Mr. Shepard. I have been made aware of your party's predicament and I feel that a meeting to explain why you all have come here is necessary,"

Matthew pulled his head from the phone and simply stared at it for a moment. Whoever this is knew him, them, and she sounded like she knew more about what was going on than he did.

"Who are you?

"I am the one who has done your group a grave wrong in summoning you here. I fear that the danger this world will soon experience will claim more innocent lives. Please inform your comrades and meet me at the DKM apartment complex. Do you know where that is?"

"Wait! You brought us here? How? Why?" from the tone of his voice it was clear that his confusion was quickly giving way to anger. "Do you know what you put us through?"

"I do not intend to defend my mistakes but please heed me when I say that time is of the essence and we must to discuss the future," said the woman. Her tone was purely apologetic.

Matthew remained silent for a moment. After so much confusion he finally had some answers to the whole mess and it made him want to scream his head off at the woman on the phone but on the other hand he finally had some hope of getting back home. If this woman was the one who brought them here she could bring them back.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking again. "Alright, give me the address and we'll be there. When we do you will give us some answers and send us home,"

"I will do my best to accommodate you," she answered.

The woman began reciting an address which Matt made sure to commit the location to memory. When she finished he looked around for a pen and a piece of paper to write it down but could find none in the cozy looking kitchen.

"I am aware of the difficult circumstances you have found yourselves in but please make it to that address as soon as possible,"

"Right, we'll be there, goodbye," he hung up the phone and let of sigh exasperation at having his hopes crushed. Sure, now he had a way of finding out just what the hell had happened to them today but he'd had given anything to see home again.

He leaned against the wall and let his mind work on how he was going to break the news to Lisa. He was worried that all the changes she had gone through were getting to her and without a way home it would only get worse. Then there was the fact he had to lead her to some apartment building to meet a strange woman who says she's the one responsible for it all. What's that going to do to her?

"_This meeting has to happen,"_ he thought to himself. "_It's the only way we can make sense out of this!"_

He made his way up the stairs as his resolve solidified. However Lisa took the news and whatever happened after that he'd have to be the one she could rely on.

Lisa let her head rest in her hands as she continued to listen to Usagi and Naru's "practice session". She let Luna, Usagi's totally- normal- not- talking- black- cat, rest peacefully on her lap. Truth be told she had no idea how to react when she saw her. She was so focused on keeping her mouth closed and not blurting out "Hi!" to the feline that she accepted Usagi's offer without thinking. She was worried that she and Matt would be found out. Naru knew nothing and Usagi was too much of an air-head to notice but Luna was smart. What was she going to find?

As the minutes ticked by she couldn't help but tap her feet to the melody of the song coming from the tape player. Not because the song was any good but because she was trying to hide her impatience. Matt's mom just called! They could finally get out of here and back home. She had no idea how she was going to explain her changed appearance or how she got to Japan of all places but she could worry about that later. Right now she had to act like everything was normal especially with the famous black magical cat sitting in her lap..

As the song mercifully came to an end, Usagi turned toward Lisa with a smile and held the pen she was using as a mock microphone out to her.

"You want to try?" Usagi offered.

Lisa shook her head. "No thanks, I don't sing,"

"That's okay! Neither do they!" said the voice of a young male on the other side of the bedroom door.

Usagi pounded on the door and stomped her foot in annoyance. "Shingo! Have you been listening the entire time?"

"Of course not, Big Sis! I'd be dead right now if I had to listen to that!"

That did it. Usagi ripped open the door and stuck her tongue out as far as she could to let the little troll she shared a house with know just how she felt. Only to find the chest of the tall boy she had just met at this morning. She looked up at him, her tongue vanishing back into her mouth, and gave an apologetic smile.

"Oops! I didn't know it was you Shepard-San! I was just trying to catch a little demon that was at my door just a second ago!"

"You'll never catch me!" the sounds of running footfalls followed by the slam of a door signaled the younger Tsukino siblings' retreat into his room.

"Ugh! He's so annoying!" yelled Usagi. Returning her attention back to her guest, she stepped back into her room and let Matt inside.

"So what did your mom say? Are you guys gonna stay here in Juuban?" Usagi asked with anticipation clear on her face.

Matt froze. "_Shit! I forgot to come up with a lie to tell everyone!"_

He looked to Lisa for some sort of sign or idea but instead only found her pointing subtly toward her lap. As soon as he saw the face of the black cat staring back at him he knew his job had just gotten much harder. Luna, the magic cat herself, was waiting for what he was going to say. He had to think of something quick. Something a normal exchange student would say.

"We're.." he began and paused briefly to gather his thoughts. "…going to look for an apartment to live in,"

Lisa immediately looked confused but was quick to hide it.

"You don't already have a place to stay?" asked Naru.

"We've been living in hotel rooms up until now," Matt answered. "But that's getting expensive really quick, so we need to find a more permanent place to live,"

For a second Usagi seemed shocked. She looked to Lisa then back Matt with a blush clear on her face. "You mean you two um, share a room?"

"No! Of course not!" Lisa chimed in. "He means we've been staying in different rooms while we were here,"

"Still you have to admit it's kind of romantic," said Naru. "A couple, lost in a foreign land, no parents to tell them what to do or where to go, just the two of them,"

"Believe me it's nowhere near that fun. Traveling around with Mr. Shepard here is more work than fun,"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Gee, Thanks Lisa"

She gave him a playful wink back at him. "Don't mention it,"

"Anyway, Mom picked out an address for us and she wants us to go check it out. Preferably, as soon as possible,"

A moment passed between the two displaced teenagers and Matt realized the Lisa was expecting more. He had just given her hope that they could escape whatever weird situation they had fallen into but all he came back with was a story about hotel rooms. Realizing nothing more was coming, she gently brushed Luna off her lap and stood up. "That sounds good, it's time for us to go anyway,"

"Wait! Please stay for one more song! It's a duet, the one we're going to sing for the contest!" pleaded Usagi.

Naru copied her friend's earnestness. "It'll be a good one. Ready Usagi?" she asked as the music began to play

"Ready!"

"One, two and…"

Both girls started to sing the lyrics. They hadn't improved at all since the last time and their forced attempt to sing in harmony only managed to drown each other's voices out. At some point, Usagi must have wanted more stage presence as she nudged Naru to the side. By the frown on her face it was clear she didn't appreciate this at all as she retook he place and shoved Usagi out of the way. The clumsy blonde lost her balance from the sudden movement and stepped on Naru's foot. The poor girl let out a squawk bringing the performance to an abrupt end.

"Usagi! Watch where you're stepping!"

"Watch where you're stepping! You pushed me!" Usagi snapped back.

"You pushed me first! And you were singing off-key!"

"I was not! My singing was perfect, wasn't it guys?" she directed her question at Matt and Lisa.

"No, no, no! We are not getting in the middle of this! Matt it's time to go," said Lisa.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, see ya guys" The both of them headed for the door. "Thanks for inviting us over,".

Naru turned on her heel away from her former partner. "Hmph! maybe I should be going too. I bet I can win the contest without a certain clumsy someone stepping all over me the whole time!"

"Oh yeah, well, I don't need you either. I'll be the idol that Shiratori-san picks,".

Naru rolled her eyes as she walked out the door. "Sure Usagi," The sound of her bedroom door closing was last one the pig-tailed girl heard before the room became utterly silent.

"I will!" the blonde yelled back. Alone and in a bad mood, she flopped on her bed and pouted. "I'll definitely be a star!"

"Maybe you should pay more attention to your friends Usagi" suggested a familiar voice.

She rolled onto her stomach and sighed. "Why should I? There's no way she could win the contest without me, we're supposed to be a team!"

"Honestly, I doubt she would've won with your help"

"Luna!"

"I'm just being honest; I really don't see why this contest means so much to you two,"

"Everybody wants to feel special and being an idol singer is every girl's dream! Having people come out and see you and you seeing them enjoy your music must feel incredible!" A starry eyed expression overcame the eighth grader's face as her imagination got the best of her.

"Yes well, I meant you should keep a closer eye on the people you surround yourself with, especially that new girl you brought here,"

"Dovahkiin-san? What about her?"

"Do you remember when I told you how I knew you were a sailor senshi?"

Usagi thought for a moment. "You said you just knew, right?"

"In laymen's terms yes. I felt the latent energy within you, which is how I knew you were Sailor Moon,"

"Okay but what's that got to do with her?"

"The entire time she was here I could feel… something in her,"

Usagi's eyes widened. "You think she's like me?"

"I don't think so. When I found you I recognized immediately that you'd be an ally. I had some idea of what to expect. But Dovahkiin is different; I sensed something strange in her. I don't know how to describe it fully but it felt powerful and ancient. I never felt anything like it,"

Now the teenage girl seemed both fascinated and worried. "You don't think she's one of those monsters do you?"

"No, not that either. Just be careful around her and the boy too. They may seem human but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous,"

Usagi took a breath and lied on her back. "I'm sure it's nothing. They're friends, you'll see"

"I hope you're right," the black cat jumped onto the bed and curled up next to the girl she had sworn in an age long past to find and train.

"We'll all be friends," Usagi whispered to herself as she drifted onto sleep.

Xavier slumped in the chair that he'd been ordered to sit in by what he assumed was a school admin. Everything that had had happened since he woke up had all gone by in a haze and he was having trouble getting his head on straight. For starters when did he get back in school? And just where in school was he? The room he was in looked like a principal's office only much nicer and filled with expensive looking furniture. On the back wall hung a row of diplomas and awards from people and places he had neither the patience nor desire to read. Even the filing cabinets looked like the ones God himself would use and above it all was the smell. Everything smelled so clean and pristine as if no human being had ever put so much as a finger on anything in here.

The only thing out of place was the desktop computer and the monitor sitting on the desk. They were bulky and definitely outdated though it was obvious that whoever's office this was wanted the obsolete hunk of junk looking like it cost a fortune with what looked like a custom casing with a Windows 3.0 label displayed proudly across it. _The guy works in the cushiest office in the world but uses an OS so flimsy you can crash it by staring at it long enough?_

The sound of footsteps and a doorknob being turned tore his attention away from the ancient machine and toward the door. He expected to see some old fart shuffling into the room, here to tell him he was a bad boy and wagging his finger in his face. Instead his mouth practically hit the floor as a gorgeous red-haired woman wearing a dress that matched her hair perfectly strolled into the room. She radiated an aura of authority and the look on her face was stern and confident but somehow disinterested and distant like she wanted to be anywhere but here. Xavier could sympathize; he wanted to be anywhere this goddess was.

Said Goddess sat down at the desk and brought her fingers together as she finally decided to grace him with her attention. From the way she sat she probably meant to intimidate him but the way she was leaning across the desk in front of him was stirring up very different feelings.

_"Holy plunging necklines Batman!"_

"State your name," she asked.

"Huh?"

"State your name" she repeated.

"Xavier Lewis,"

She ruffled through a stack of papers on her desk until she came to one and held it in front of her.

"It says here your name is Lycan Smellfear,"

"WHAT?" Xavier eyes leapt from the woman's chest to her face as she said the name.

"You are the new British transfer student Lycan Smellfear, your former teacher from the Gilnean Academy wrote a very positive recommendation and your academic record seems to justify his confidence,"

Xavier stared at the woman with wide, confused eyes. "Lady, what the hell are you talking about? Did you hack my Warcraft account or something?"

The woman pinched the bridge of her nose and massaged her temples in frustration. "I honestly don't need your name when I have your file in front of me so I'll cut to the chase. From what I understand you insulted one of our student-faculty by "propositioning" her as if she were a "common whore".

"Hey I didn't call her a whore! I just thought that maybe we could get together sometime and if she was feeling me we could..."

"Spare me the details Mr. Smellfear. The fact is such behavior cannot be tolerated here at the Infinity Academy. I'm noting this on your record and will let Bidou-san decide what to do with you,"

As she finished talking a loud beeping noise sounded from her watch. She glanced at it briefly before gathering a few papers and rising hastily from her seat.

"This meeting is over. Return to class immediately,"

She walked toward the door without giving the transfer student a second glance.

"Question!"

The lovely principal flashed the boy a glare of annoyance before turning away . Not even looking him in the eyes as she spoke.

"What is it?'

The boy jumped to his feet, took a deep breath and expressed his confusion as best he could. "Who the hell are you? Where the hell am I? and what the fuck is going on?"

The impatient woman muttered a curse of her own before turning the knob and pushing the door open.

"Ask a teacher!" she shot back before walking out of the office, leaving the hopelessly lost boy alone in a world he didn't understand anymore.

Kaolinite rushed out of her office and through the vaunted halls of the Infinity Academy. Of all the times to get a summons it had to be in between classes when the students were filling the halls. If she had to wade through the masses all the way to the lab she'd be late and there was no way she was going to be late for Him. In her haste she bumped into a male student, knocking the books he had clutched to his chest onto the floor. Undeterred she forged ahead until the crowd of students dwindled to nothing and she was finally alone.

In front of her was the most unassuming door at the end of a narrow hallway that no students and only "select" faculty had access to. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small card which she slid into the reader parallel to the door frame. A soft "click" sound told her the door had opened and she made way her way through. In front of her a long staircase descended into darkness. There were no lights in the corridor so she made sure keep one hand on the wall to keep her balance. When she made it to the bottom she allowed her eyes time to adjust to the low-light for a moment then walked up to another door. Unlike the previous one, this one was metallic and there was no knob to turn or a card reader she could swipe her card through. Instead a number pad was affixed the wall with each button illuminated giving off the only source of light. She entered the correct code with a swiftness that came with years of practice and watched the door slide into the wall to the right as it had always done. She ran her hand through her voluminous hair before she strode into the secret underground laboratory housed just beneath the school where her beloved was no doubt working diligently on his great work.

"Good evening Kaori-kun" the man in a white lab coat in front of her greeted her with a serious yet mirthful tone. Kaolinite had always admired her leader's ability to sound so composed and so jovial at the same time.

"It is still morning professor but as always it's a pleasure seeing you," Kaolinite answered back.

The man raised his head and looked toward the ceiling as if searching for something.

"Ah! You're right! Forgive me; time always seems to slip by unnoticed,"

"I know how hard you work," said Kaolinite as she approached him. "Brilliance needs to time to shine," She tried to rest her hands on his shoulders but he suddenly made a quick turn just as her fingers were about to touch him.

"And that's why time will never evade me again!" he turned toward her allowing her to see his clock-patterned tie he wore proudly over his lab coat.

"The beginning of every experiment is important Kaori-kun, since time never moves backward that means you have to begin right because you can't start the beginning again after it's begun,"

"I…of course, sir,"

"So let's begin with this," he reached into his lab coat pocket a pulled out a small powder-blue box.

"I called you here Kaori-kun because I want you to be that new beginning,"

Kaolinite's heart fluttered in her chest as hope that the item in the box was the thing she had seen in her dreams. The professor got down on one knee, looked up at her and opened the clamshell latch.

Excitement turned to confusion when she saw that what was in the box was not the golden bangle from her fantasies but a small pale-pink seed sticking up from the cushion inlaid in the box's frame.

"This is a daemon seed, the result of years of work to make a new beginning in the world,"

"It's truly a…marvel sir," she couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice but if the professor picked up on it he didn't seem to care.

"But it's untested and that's no way for science to proceed! It needs a human host to bond with and as the principal I think you know better than I who'd make the best test subject,"

A wicked smile appeared on Kaolinite's face as an malicious idea entered her mind. "As a matter of fact I know just the one,"

Professor Tomoe shot up from the ground and raised his hands in the air without a care in the world and let out a yelp of excitement. "A new experiment always sends my spirit soaring!"

"As they do mine, sir"

"Good! Then I'm counting on you for a spectacular test Kaori-kun!"

"I won't fail you professor," she took the box from him and turned to the exit making sure to disturb the professor's latest work as little as possible.

"One more thing my dear Kaori!"

The sudden call from the professor almost made Kaolinite lose her balance but she quickly corrected herself and dutifully faced her employer and secret crush.

"Yes?"

He spread his arms and legs out wide as if he were preparing to give a giant teddy bear a hug. "Does this tie make me look silly?"

The surprised red-head dipped her head to hide the flush of embarrassment on her face. "Of course not sir. It makes you look very handsome,"

The professor's smile, as always, never faded from his face. "Thank you for your honesty Kaori-kun,"

With that she nodded and headed out the door once more. When she was gone Professor Tomoe stood there motionless for a moment, basking in the glory that was good fashion sense. He then swiped the tie from his neck, tossed it over his shoulder and watched it fall into a pool of chemicals he had placed on his desk. He watched it dissolve with glee as the fibers frayed then vanished into the volatile concoction.

"I hate ties! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"


End file.
